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I have been noticably absent from the blogosphere for the past … well almost six weeks. But there was a very good reason! Last year my family decided to do something completely different for Christmas 2012. No shopping, baking, or Christmas card writing! Instead we would all go to Florida and spend the holidays on the beach. We were all on board immediately and it didn’t take long before we found the perfect beach house to rent. Thanks to VRBO we found The Gazebo Cottage http://www.islandvacationproperties.com/rental/house.html?ID=503&Avail=&Stay=

Since it rented by the month and my parents didn’t want to fly, we made the decision that I would accompany them and help make the drive down. I was thrilled beyond words … never in my wildest imagination did I think I would ever have the opportunity to spend 30 days on the beach! The beach was awesome … but the real gem in this equation was spending 30 days with my parents. It was a wonderful experience, and the best gift I could have ever been given. We relaxed, we drove around and visited all the places that my parents had been over the 40 plus years that they had been traveling to Florida. We even visited every golf course that my Dad had played on. It was a trip through time and revisited fond memories.

We got fresh grapefruit right off a tree in our yard, we got fresh oranges from a Mom & Pop orange grove, we bought fresh sea food from roadside stands and ocean fish markets.

We read books, we sat on the beach and watched dolphins and stingrays swim by. We watched birds dive bomb into the ocean for food. We enjoyed the gift of time.

We eagerly awaited the arrival of the rest of our family so we could all enjoy the beauty that was Anna Maria Island. But all too soon our time was up. We spared Mom & Dad the long drive home and got them a flight back home. My Dad called me excitedly to tell me that he had upgraded so that they could travel first class on what may be the last plane ride they make. It seemed a fitting end to a wonderful month.

My nephew Thomas turned 19 on December 28th so we all went out to a seafood restaurant and celebrated his big day.

Roger and I celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary on December 29th. The “young ones” of our family were cooking that night so instead of going off on our own, we elected to stay home and enjoy home-made pizza and play games.

Roger and I spent the first night of our drive home in Smyrna, Georgia … we got to spend quality time with Roger’s Uncle Kenny, sharing a meal and getting the tour of town, including a visit to his home. Another priceless first on this grand adventure of ours.

The final night, which was also New Years Eve, was spent in Urbana, Illinois. We were exhausted after driving for 12 hours so we celebrated with supper at Perkins, a hot shower, and a very comfortable bed.

The next day we arrived back in Minnesota and HOME! As much as I love to travel, I also really love my home. There really is “no place like home.” I had never been away from home for this length of time before and it felt like a long awaited reunion with a favorite old friend.

My dog, Murphy, however, had other ideas. As ecstatic as I was to see him, he was mad at me for being gone for so long — a first in a 13-1/2 year history with him. But I couldn’t say I blamed him. How do you explain to a dog that you are going to be gone for so long, but you WILL be coming back? I’m sure in his mind he didn’t think I would ever return.

I am happy to say though, after being home for a week, all has been forgiven and Murphy and I have seemlessly slipped back into our daily routines.

2013 is a new year full of hope and promise. One thing is sure though — things will not stay the same. Time marches on — even though sometimes we don’t want it to.

Wishing you and your family the hope and promise that this new year brings!

I’m back from spending five wonderful days in our nation’s capital. I had never been there before and was able to see many things I have only dreamt about for many years.

The purpose of my trip was two-fold. The main purpose was to partner with Campus Firewatch and promote fire safety issues on college campuses across the country.

On Thursday we kicked off the day with a press conference which included speeches by Congressmen, Bill Pascrell of New Jersey and Joe Wilson of North Carolina.

The highlight was the speech given by Edye Smith, a parent like me, who lost her son in an off-campus house fire.

The second part of the day consisted of breaking up into groups of fire personnel, current college students, and parents.

My group visited staffers of Cong. Keith Ellison, Sen. Al Franken, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, all of whom represent my state of Minnesota.

We were able to convey the urgency of continued education on fire prevention, along with the need to offer incentives for landlords to improve their rental units by adding sprinklers.

There are currently two pieces of legislation that address both of these issues.

It was such a personal day for me. To be able to share the life of my daughter and share her picture with people who never knew her, six years after her death, just boggles my mind and brings me such happiness and peace.

My intention is to spend the rest of my life honoring her and to have the opportunity to work to improve the lives of today’s students is very comforting and rewarding.

And, it was also a wonderful opportunity to see first-hand the workings of our government. The fact that most people never have this kind of opportunity was always on my mind throughout the day.

On the second leg of my trip was spent with my daughter Anna and her best friend Stephanie. Roger and I consider Stephanie to be our unoffical third daughter.

We crammed alot of sight seeing into two full days. The weather was absolutely beautiful and we had a grand time. Here is a list of what we accomplished:

toured the Capitol, including the Rotunda

toured the Supreme Court (saw Judge Sotomayor’s new chair).

visited the Smithsonian to see a Lincoln exhibit, dresses of the First Ladies, and Julia Child’s kitchen.

We visited the White House and saw the First Dog, Bo Obama, out on his afternoon walk! (I was really hoping to see Barack or Michelle, but hey I’m happy we did get to see one member of the Obama family!)

We went to the top of the Washington monument where you can see the entire District as well as Virginia and Maryland.

We ate at a favorite hang out of the Obamas, Good Stuff Eatery, and enjoyed the best hamburger and fries I have ever had … and the beer was great too!

We spent most of Sunday the 20th at Arlington National Cemetery; we visited the graves of JFK, Robert and Ted Kennedy.

We also had amazing seats to watch the changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

I thought about Liz alot that day because it was the 6th anniversary of her death. It seemed fitting that we should spend the day at Arlington.

As we sat in the trolley waiting to start our tour we noticed that the gentleman sitting right next to me had a large butterfly tattoo on his forearm. We all smiled because we knew it was a sign that Liz was with us in spirit.

My plans have just been finalized and I am thrilled to be in Washington DC from September 16-20 as part of Campus Firewatch.

I have joined forces with CFW headed by an angel named Ed Comeau. Along with other parents across the country who have lost a college-aged child to fire, we support Ed’s efforts to educate students, colleges, landlords, and the public on fire safety and prevention.

Our goal is to get all 50 states to declare September as “National Campus Fire Safety Awareness Month.” To date, we have 14 states who have done so. We will be on Capitol Hill on September 17th as part of this effort.

I can’t think of a better place to be – it is yet another way I can honor my precious Elizabeth and for that I am so very grateful and happy.

To learn more about the work of Campus Firewatch, please check out the website at:

Exactly one year ago tomorrow Anna and I jetted off for five fabulous days in the Big Apple. I fell completely in love with New York City and I want to go back.

Thinking back on our trip, I have a huge longing in my heart to relive it all again exactly as it happened.

The Universe has been reminding me of my wonderful trip in many ways over the past couple of days. I really don’t need any reminding, I completely keep re-hashing it all again and again wishing I could turn back the clock.

But … it’s all so good. And, of course, Liz is in the midst of it all. (Why would this surprise me?)

Yesterday I received a call from a publisher in midtown Manhattan. I was thrilled to learn that Angels on Earth magazine will include my story of Liz’s Letter in an upcoming issue. I’m giving Liz major credit for this marvelous happening in my life.

Why, you may ask? Well, first of all I have tried for at least two years to get this published by a major magazine with no luck. Last week, after changing the title of the story to, The Unexpected Blessing, and making a few other changes, I decided to give it another try and sent it on to Angels on Earth. Of the 12 months of the year it could be published, it will be published in the SEPTEMBER issue. Why is that significant? Because, Liz was born on 9/12 and she died on 9/20 … September plays a very significant role in the lives of my family and I … so of course it would happen in September.

Secondly, Sunday is Mother’s Day … receiving this wonderful notification so close to this special holiday says Liz.

So, thanks Liz … aside from another trip to NYC, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. I can scarcely fathom the number of people who will now read our story. And, I know it will reach those who are hurting and in need of an encouraging word.

This morning, I turned on the television only to see Matt, Meredith, Al and Ann in the crown of the Statue of Liberty … then Ellis Island, all places Anna and I visited just one year ago. Why, Al even boarded one of the same buses that Anna and I rode on many times! It shuttled us all through Manhattan and we saw all the wonderful sights of the Fashion District, Central Park, the Empire State Building, Ground Zero, Tribecka, and Times Square, just to name a few. Oh, the yearning!!!

It’s no accident that those segments ran today – Oh I get it, Universe – I get it, really I do!

If my last post didn’t convince you of God’s intimate presence in our lives, perhaps this one will. This story comes directly from Phil Bolsta’s blog, http://bolstablog.com

Keep in mind, though, that whether or not this gentlemen listened to what he was being told, he still would have been fine – the outcomes would have been completely different, of course, but HE still would have been fine. Different lessons would have been learned, but HE STILL WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE.

Now … on to the story:
When Christopher Barbour, a clairvoyant intuitive and writer who assists law enforcement with difficult cases, told me these two amazing stories about how his angel saved his life, I knew I had to share them here. Goose bump alert!

As far back as I can remember, I have always felt watched over and cared about by a divine mysterious creator, and what I would call a spiritual support system. Thankfully, this inner life of mine was not foisted upon me by organized religion or well meaning family members—it’s always been there, and always will be there.

When I was seven, episodes of clairvoyance and intuition spontaneously began to bubble to the surface in my life. These experiences always took me directly to the sacred and the mysteries that we all share. That intuitive wiring of mine would eventually become part of my work, expressed via a path of mysticism and service.

If you asked me prior to when I reached my 30s if I believed in angels, I would have said, ”Of course!” I would have answered that question looking through the prism of faith, combined with an inner knowing, as well as through reading accounts in ancient sacred texts, and listening to stories people have shared with me over the years about encounters with angels.

In the fall of 2002, I was dealing with some difficult personal and family issues and was rebounding from the death of a friend who had a long struggle with heroin addiction and eventually died of complications from hepatitis. I was in such a state that no amount of praying, meditation or discussion with my support system was helping. I was in a crisis mode unlike anything I had experienced before, and decided one blustery fall day, to take a long walk in a forest near my home in northern Arizona that many have described as “magical.” Walks alone in nature had become my way to deal with my mysteries and some of the darkness of my work, so it seemed the perfect thing for me to do under the circumstances.

My walk began normally but within about forty-five minutes, I had become so entrenched in my own head and problems that I hadn’t realized that I had veered off the path and was walking through a thicket of small trees and shrubs. I kept walking for several more minutes, approaching a line of low shrubs, when I heard a woman call my name. The voice that called “Christopher!” was female, and though I couldn’t place her, she sounded familiar; she shouted my name as only someone who knew me very well would.

I froze on the spot and looked to my left where the voice seemed to come from, and briefly saw a beautiful woman with long, light brown hair and a light colored diaphanous gown. She disappeared after a few seconds, before I was able to get a good look at her. I looked down and realized that I was no longer on the path, and that if I had taken one more step, I would have fallen forty feet onto jagged rocks below. I stood there, alone in the forest, closed my eyes and said to her, “Thank you, thank you, thank you . . .”

In early December 2004, I booked a trip back to the east coast to see my family in Connecticut for the holidays. I had arranged my trip so that I would return to Arizona on January 4th, after the holiday travel rush. One evening, I got into bed and fell into that state just before sleep called the hypnogogic state.

That is when a profound vision was downloaded into me. I was shown a scenario, seen from my own point of view, of flying back to Arizona from the east coast. It was stormy and raining as the plane landed. I looked to my left and in the seat next to me, there she was again, my angel—beautiful, light-filled, with long hair—the same woman who had called my name that day in the forest two years earlier. She was so light-filled, in fact, that I couldn’t look at her for more than a few seconds for fear that my eyes couldn’t take the brightness.

I was shown myself getting into the car that was to pick me up after my flight home, and then shown the driver and me on the highway north of Phoenix whizzing along. The car hit a patch of ice and I saw myself as the car began to slide off the highway and crash and come apart. I saw the windshield coming closer as I was thrown out of the car. There in front of me, seconds before what would have been my death, was my angel, smiling and radiating peace that I could feel deep within. I awoke with a start, shocked by what I had been shown with such razor clarity. I laid in bed for some time thinking about the vision and pondering canceling my trip east. It was very clear in the vision that I was flying west when this event happened, after I had been to the east coast. As I fell back to sleep, the vision came a second time, exactly as it had played out the first time. It was as if God and my angel didn’t want to leave room for denial or any ”it was just a dream” nonsense. It worked. I awoke the second time with a start and simply said, “Thank you God, thanks guys, I get it, I get it.”

After the visions, I was left with a strong inner knowing that as long as I didn’t return on January 4th, I would not die. I went back east for the holidays and after a few days, I checked the weather reports for Arizona and learned that a series of storms was heading toward the state. In fact, the part of Arizona where I live was bracing for severe floods and storms capable of producing dangerously icy conditions. I called the airline and extended my stay in Connecticut for a week, knowing that it was important, if I wanted to live, not to return to Arizona on January 4th.

I began to think of the driver who was to pick me up at the airport on January 4th and drive me home. As he was driving me to the airport in Phoenix at the beginning of my trip, he said that he would be dropping someone off at my airline around the time of my return, so it would be he easy for him to pick me up and drive me back home. I attempted to tell him about the visions I had but I was unable to get through to him. I learned early in life that when it comes to visions, people are either open or they’re not-—many, especially men, are unreachable until an experience actually happens to them.

As I sat in my mother’s home in Greenwich, Connecticut, I wondered, Should I call the car service to warn them, not caring if I sounded like a goofball? I decided to do that, and though I tried to call the number at least a dozen times over the course of several days, my call would never go through. It felt to me as though Heaven had something up their sleeves and it was not my business to mess with it. As January 4th neared, I sent the driver grace and prayers for his safety and greater good.

I returned home to Arizona completely intact. I had missed what friends and neighbors would eventually call “the 100-year flood.” A few weeks after my return, I was catching up with a friend who works in law enforcement and she told me that in early January, while I was away, there had been a terrible accident on the highway north of Phoenix. I froze as she said, “Thank God, no one was in the car with the driver. He lived, but there was virtually nothing left of the rest of the car.”

Several weeks after that, in a synchronicity that only the gods could arrange, I ran into the man who would have been my driver that day—the man who survived the crash. He proceeded to tell me that on January 4th, after dropping a woman off at the airport, he had a very close brush with death as he made his way north on highway I-17. His car hit a patch of ice on the highway north of Phoenix and there was a devastating accident. He told me that the police could not believe that he lived. Only the cage around the driver was intact, the rest of the car was tangled, jagged metal. When the police found out that he worked for a car service, they said, “Thank God you didn’t have any passengers. There’s no way they could have survived.” Then he told me something that I found both fascinating and chilling. The accident occurred in the exact spot where he had pulled over years earlier, to pick up a dead owl and give it a respectful burial.

That driver was scheduled for a close brush with death for reasons known only to God and that man’s spiritual support system. This God we experience and speak about knows the tiniest details about our lives. It was known that this brush with death was scheduled and necessary, and that I was “accidentally” scheduled to be in that car. It was somehow necessary in the whole scheme of things that I was not to reach the car service or the driver to give them a heads up. It felt as if God and my angel were saying, via the visions I was sent

We want you to know this is on the horizon. You can come home if you want, but we think you are needed on that bedeviled planet and have more work to do. It’s up to you, you can come home or stay. The choice is yours. We will be watching very closely.

Needless to say, I chose to stay. What I have learned through these two experiences is that we are more closely watched, and watched over, than we could ever imagine. I often wonder, “Just what is this unseen world that exists and cares so much about us within the vastness of time and space?” I am humbled, and I often cry, when I think about how much this mysterious creator and my angelic companion care about me.

I have never taken one walk in the beauty that surrounds me since without thinking about my angel and the day she called my name with such compassion, saving me from breaking my body in two. Her beauty and light is hard to describe and my love for her knows no bounds. She was there, right beside me in the visions of the car crash, letting me know that she would walk with me to what lies beyond the veil of death, where our lives really begin.

The visions themselves came from the One who created all visions, and wired us with intuition and spiritual gifts and skills and the stamina to not care what others think, the One who waits for us to awaken from our human slumber, who longs for us to remember what we already know.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This story was taken from Triumph of the Spirit, Phil Bolsta’s blog. To learn more about Phil or to read other great stories (including a couple of mine) go to: http://bolstablog.com

Reading this book is like spending a few minutes face to face with each of the contributors and listening to their personal stories.Click hereto read unsolicited testimonials from readers. Learn more by visiting the official Sixty Seconds website.

Tomorrow I will be one of many workshop speakers at the Women & Spirituality Conference at Minnesota State University in Mankato.

It’s another step down the path of the journey of my life these past five years. I’m calling my talk: From Tragedy to Transformation – A Mother’s Story. I’m amazingly calm and looking forward to it. I’m going by myself. I wanted to … not sure why but I did and that’s the way it worked out.

When I spoke in April, 2007, I played a part in bringing an estranged sister back to her family. I can’t wait to see what the Universe has in the works for tomorrow!

Wow … I don’t know what else to say. I’m back from spending 5 glorious days in New York City. It was a flawless trip … no glitches … air travel left on time and was comfortable … our accommodations at Radio City Apartments were amazing and our time there was so much fun!

New York City has always been on my list of places I must visit … I didn’t know if I would like it … or hate it … but I LOVED it! I’ve never seen such a vibrant city … full of life literally 24 hours a day. People of all shapes, sizes, and colors and life styles …. and restaurants and food vendors everywhere. It was so invigorating to be a part of the mass of humanity that is NYC.

Here is a list of our activiites:

SUNDAY

Tour of NBC Studios – got to go on Saturday Night Live Set, Late Night with Conan O’Brien and NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams

Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) where you can see all of Manhattan

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

MONDAY

toured all neighborhoods of Manhattan on The Big Red Bus, Soho, LIttle Italy, Chinatown, Noho, Tribecka, The Village

visited Ground Zero and St. Paul’s Church

TUESDAY

TODAY Show – made some on camera shots and got to shake hands with Al Roker and Meredith Viera – saw Jimmy Falon & Jason Castro (latest castoff on American Idol)

visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

Saw the show A CHORUS LINE

WEDNESDAY

took the train and subway to Brooklyn and YANKEE STADIUM

attended New York University graduation ceremonies – Michael J. Fox recevied an honorary degree and Michael Strahan, NY GAINTS football player, was the commencement speaker

saw LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN studio

went to see the broadway production of WICKED

In a nutshell, that was our trip … we ate incredible food every day … from New York bagels to NY sidewalk hot dogs, NY pizza … Puerto Rican food, Italian food … it was all great (and really not that expensive)

We did burn the candle at both ends while we were there but it was so worth it.

Anna’s best friend, Stephanie, and whom Roger and I consider to be daughter #3, graduated from NYU with honors in broadcast journalism. We are so proud of her! She put herself through school and after interning with Good Morning America is now working for FORBES! Look out world — here comes Stephanie!

You always hear that New Yorker’s are rude and uncaring … we never experienced that … everyone we met was nice and extremely helpful … we always felt safe … no matter what time of day we were on the streets … we were not mugged … we didn’t see any rats … we rode in lots of taxi’s and yes, they do drive a little crazy, but hey, traffic in Manhattan is always crazy … so it was just FUN!

It was truly the trip of a lifetime and I spent many a moment trying to drink it all in and burn it into my memory … I had to pinch myself alot because it truly was a surreal experience in so many ways.

Now, this adventure did not start out as a girls only trip. Anna and I had planned it as a family vacation. However, several months ago Roger surprised us by announcing he didn’t want to go. What? What do you mean you don’t want to go? How can you not want to go? Are you crazy?

Well, after doing everything we could to change his mind, Anna and came to the same conclusion one day: if Roger doesn’t want to come – then we don’t want him to come. It dawned on us that his lack of enthusiasm would surely rub off on us and make the trip less that it could be. So, it’s a girls trip and everyone is happy about that!

We’ve got an intinerary for each day, with wiggle room, if we see something else that sparks our interest … and it promises to be an unforgettable experience … and best of all for me … I’ll be doing it with my daughter. It doesn’t get any better than that!

Anna surprised me with an early Mother’s Day gift. She had pictures of our trip to Las Vegas last September, made into a book. It is beautiful and a keepsake I will treasure forever. I can already see another book in the making this week!

Hmm … making memories with those you love … it just doesn’t get any better than that!

Anna and I spent the last 4 days in Vegas and we had a blast! But it was hot-hot-hot … over 100 every day … and yes it is a “dry” heat … but it was still HOT!

Our little adventure started off kind of rocky though … our flight was suppose to leave at 2 pm on Thursday; however, just as they announced boarding … we found out some cheese ball from the previous flight had taken the exit sign over the door of the plane as a souvenier and without it we couldn’t fly!

We didn’t leave Mpls until 6:30 pm that evening! But no worries … we were in Vegas by 9 pm.

Louie Anderson (famous Minnesota comedian) was going to be on our flight … but when the exit sign went missing so did Louie … we found out later he had a show to do that night … oh well, it was fun to see him standing around waiting just like the rest of us.

We went to 2 shows, saw a Picasso exhibit at the Belagio, went to Hoover Dam/Lake Mead, went to Madame Toussoue’s wax museum, spent a couple hours at the pool, gambled just a little (at the penny slots), explored too many casinos to mention, ate at numerous buffets, and did lots of walking. All in all a great trip. We actually traveled quite well together and didn’t get on each other’s nerves (well not too much).

A funny story while at Hoover Dam … before we left I got the very strong sense that Liz was going to be a part of our trip in some way … however, once we got to Vegas we were so busy I didn’t give it much thought. We had just finished the dam tour (no pun intended) and were in the very cheesy gift shop … Anna was looking at the key chains with names on them … amazingly they actually had one with the name ANNA on it. I couldn’t resist and looked to see if they had one with the name ELIZABETH. They did … I just ran my fingers over it, and let out a little sigh … suddenly this voice in my head said “I’m dead — I don’t need a key chain!”

I just broke out laughing … it was very true and completely unexpected.

We got home last night at 10 pm … again our plane was late … suppose to leave at 2 pm; however, we boarded at 3 pm but didn’t actually take off until 3:40 pm …the joys of mass transit.

It is good to be home though … Vegas is fun … but only for a few days … I like the real world much better.

Roger had a great time on his fishing trip as well … thankfully he caught fish but nothing that will be taking up permanent residence on a wall in our home!